This invention relates generally to audio/visual recording devices and, more particularly, to a method and system for creating playlists that are automatically recorded to a recording medium.
Users of audio/visual products, such as music and video tracks, often desire to record these products on storage mediums for replay at some future time. A person may desire to create a playlist of music tracks from various compact discs (CDs) by recording the music tracks to a minidisc, tape or other recording medium, for instance. Audio/visual products suitable for recording include, but are not limited to, music, video, and movie selections that are available from actual storage devices as well as electronically over the Internet.
The current manner of recording audio/visual products to create a customized playlist is a time consuming, labor intensive task. The user must designate a track and record it before the next track to be recorded can then be designated and recorded. The user, in other words, must both select the track to be recorded and initiate the recording process of that track before the next track to be recorded can be selected. This required interaction means that the user must be available to oversee the entire recordation operation from stop to finish.
Suppose, for example, that a user wishes to record five music selections, with the first selection from a first CD, the second selection from a second CD, the third selection from the first CD, the fourth selection from the first CD, and the fifth selection from a third CD. Prior to recording the first selection, the user would have to place the first CD in the recording device prior to recording the first selection. After recording the first selection, the user would then remove the first CD, insert the second CD into the recording device, record the second selection, and then remove the second CD. The third and fourth selection would be recorded after placing the first CD back into the recording device. Finally, the fifth selection could be recorded only after the user removes the first CD and inserts the third CD into the recording device.
In the above method of creating a custom playlist, a major disadvantage is that in addition to selecting the track to be recorded, the user must also be present for the actual recording of all but the last audio/visual product to be recorded since the user has to initiate each recording operation. This requires the presence of the user for the duration of the entire selection and recording operation so that the user can choose and then record the appropriate product. There therefore exists a need in the art for a user to be able to choose and record desired tracks of audio/visual product to a storage medium for later access with a minimum amount of user interaction and supervision required. In this way, the user can be freed up to engage in more productive and less tedious tasks if so desired.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to be able to choose and record desired tracks of audio/visual product to a storage medium for later access with a minimum amount of user interaction and supervision required.
Therefore, according to the present invention, a method and system for the creation of a custom playlist of various audio/visual tracks that are to be automatically recorded to a storage medium is disclosed. The user communicates with personal computer (PC) software by means of a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI allows the user to create a custom playlist and to signal the intent that a recording of that custom playlist to a storage medium be made. Once the user has indicated the custom playlist is to be recorded, the software automatically records the custom playlist with no further user interaction required. In this manner, a minimum amount of user interaction is required.
The methodology for the present invention, through coordination of user interaction with the GUI, creates a custom playlist of audio/visual tracks and automatically records the custom playlist by performing the steps of creating the custom playlist and controlling a recording device to record the custom playlist to a storage medium. A step of creating a local database of track information on a hard drive of the personal computer is performed either simultaneously with or before creating the custom playlist. Creating the custom playlist comprises obtaining information about a plurality of tracks that are available to be added to the custom playlist, selecting one or more tracks of the plurality of tracks to be added to the custom playlist, adding the one or more tracks to the custom playlist by saving an identifier of each track of the one or more tracks to a playlist file, and saving the playlist file.
The system of the present invention that provides for creating the custom playlist of audio/visual tracks and automatically recording the custom playlist comprises the following: a personal computer defined as having a central processing unit, a storage capability, and an information accessing unit for accessing audio/visual tracks; a recording device that receives the custom playlist from the personal computer and records the custom playlist to a storage medium; a communications link between the personal computer and the recording device that enables the recording device to receive the custom playlist from the personal computer; and software that runs on the personal computer that communicates with a user through a graphical user interface to create the custom playlist of audio/visual tracks and to control the recording device to record the custom playlist to the storage medium.